Home Depot buries its landscape stores

Seven months after closing its experimental flooring stores, Home Depot has announced plans to do the same with its Landscape Supply units, another test format. All 11 units will be shuttered over the next two months so that the company can concentrate on its traditional big-box stores, according to Home Depot spokesman Ron DeFeo. No decision has been reached on what Home Depot will do with the sites, he said.

There are currently five Landscape Supply stores in Georgia and six in Texas.

“We own the land for all these locations,” DeFeo told HCN. The company is evaluating all its options, which include converting the specialty stores into regular Home Depot units or selling off the real estate.

Home Depot opened its first three Landscape Supply stores outside Atlanta in 2002. The following year, the company expanded the concept to the Dallas area. The 12,000-square-foot stores were generally set on five to seven acres, with a fenced-in yard and a will-call area.

Aimed at both the professional landscaper and the “avid” home gardener, Landscape Supply featured two separate entrances for contractors and DIY customers. The “pro” side of the store looked more like a warehouse, with bulk items, pallet displays and a tool rental area. Landscapers had their own parking, checkout and restrooms.

On the consumer side, a temperature-controlled greenhouse measuring 25,000 square feet contained wooden fixtures and a retail assortment of lawn and garden goods.

Landscape Supply also offered a wide menu of installation services, including pavers, irrigation, water features and putting greens.